Minkster will carry his connection and fans' hopes at his plate at Queens on Sunday. But there is another burden to carry with the 126 pounds he carries.
Curses.
There is no old woman story behind it. And there really is no explanation for it. However, since Nocliffe in 1976, the plate winner had not won the Coronation his Futurity the previous year.
"There's a simple answer to that," trainer Danny Bella told Woodbine Entertainment. "I don't think horses know anything about it." }
An eleven-man field starts at the plate led by Woodbine Oaks winner Moira and Marine Stakes champion Rondur. But while The Minkster has his 10-to-1 in the morning queue, the English Channel's son is certainly capable.
His Minkster, owned by Ray and Debbie Burke of Buffalo, New York, was the main driver at his track, including his 2¼ length victory at Canada's most important race, Coronation. As a two-year-old he was perfect with two starts. For boys. He scored a stunning victory over Rondur in the Queenston Stakes in his June but all went wrong when he finished sixth in the Trials Stakes at the plate last month.
"He was a little frustrated," Bella said. He had a little heat stroke. That's probably what annoyed him there all at once.
"But he has recovered well and is training better than before."
Vera has a good history with the plate. He sent the Basquians to win the 1994 renewal and found the winner's circle again in 2012 at the Channel of Dover. Vera compares Minkster favorably to those champions and feels the 1 1/4 mile distance works well for the Colt as long as he isn't cranked up too much.
"The English Channel is inherently aggressive," he said. "And that was one of the things we had to do last month and try to be behind the horse and relax."
He rode Minxter in all four starts is called again by David Moran. Moran, when he came so close to winning last year's plate, got within inches of his mount Riptide his lock catching wire-safe action.
Huge Party: If the Duke of Love wins, he will make his owner happy... All 700.
Cupid's Son is owned by the super syndicate MyRacehorse. MyRacehorse makes it possible to enjoy the thrill of owning a horse across North America for as little as $100. According to their website, over 100,000 people own various horse stocks. The syndicate owned the 2020 Kentucky Derby-winning Authentic.
MyRacehorse's East Coast Racing his manager Harry Rice said: "Every time we post something for him, people get their attention and look forward to the updates we provide."
Most recently three times in 2020's Mighty Heart. The Josie Carroll-trained Duke of Love, who won the 2012 plate, easily won his first start of 2022, finishing second in the Marines and fourth in both. Queenston and Plate Trial.
Double Shot: Mark Cassé usually has several plate prospects in the barn, but the plate dominated his trials. The two are on their way to the big dance. Both Surfer Sure and Hall of Dreams have solid stretch runs to win the trial his Exactor and will love the 220-yard extension.
Surfosure won one of his four starts, his first ever scoring at Gulfstream, before winning the trials. He suffered minor injuries that set him back after that victory. Jockey Declan Carroll likes the temperament of a foal.
"How he stops in the race," he said. “I call him out and he responds. It will be his first plate ride, and the 23-year-old was one of Arlington Park's leading riders last year, but at the end of that meeting he had to find a new home after Chicago's famous track closed.
On the other hand, it took Hall of Dreams six starts to find the winner's circle, but he was a very dangerous slow-developer. An example might be a 3-year-old around this time, who broke his virginity on June 25, just before finishing second in the trials.
But before that, he finished second. 3 times, and 3rd place once.Casse is delighted with Lemon Drop Kid's hard-working son.
"He doesn't draw attention to himself," he said. I was. "Horses draw attention to themselves in one of two ways. They can be really bad, and they can be really good."
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Queen's Platefield
Sunday, Woodbine Racecourse
1. Hall of Dreams, Mark Cassé, Patrick Husbans, 12-1
2. Chamatour, Syd Attard, Luis Contreras, 30 -1
3. Ironstone, William Armata, Kazushi Kimura, 12-1
4. Minkster, Danny Vera, David Moran, 10-1
5. Duke of Love, Josie Carroll, Justin Stein, 5-1
6. Rondule, Katerina Vasilieva, Flavien Pratt, 3-1
7. Dancin in Da'nile, Gail Cox, Shaun Bridgmohan, 30-1
8. Moira, Kevin Attard , Rafael Hernandez, 5-2
9. Hunt Master, Angus Buntain, Emma-Jane Wilson, 30-1
10. Sir For Sure, Mark Casse, Declan Carroll, 8-1
11. Cousin Mayhem, Todd Pletcher, Antonio Gallardo, 6-1
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